Replies

1. 
   frenchy | Apr 29, 2005 05:20pm | #1

   Sailex,

     Thank you,  reason (and my wife)  finally overcame my ambition..  While I continue to love old wooden boats I promised first to finish this house and then look into wooden boats.    It did wrench my heart when the guy called me up and I went out and watched him burn that magnificent boat to extract the metal from it.  Granted Chris Craft was a production builder not a custom builder and maybe that means boats like that have no value.    Yet the mahogany that was used was in great condition and it wasn't far enough from being restored to warrant the burning..

1. 
   lwj2 | May 01, 2005 12:28am | #2

   It did wrench my heart when the guy called me up and I went out and watched him burn that magnificent boat to extract the metal from it. Granted Chris Craft was a production builder not a custom builder and maybe that means boats like that have no value.
   ****************I hope he got about thirty-five grand worth of metal out of it, because last year I saw a ChrisCraft mahogany runabout go for $30k at one of the marinas on Smith Mountain Lake, not far from Roanoke. And it needed a bit of restoration work, too.Ta,Leon Jester

1. 
   BrianF | May 01, 2005 01:13am | #3

   I was thinking the exact same. Chris Craft were a production boat, but one of the best in it's day. Classic Chris Craft's are in high demand in just about any condition. There is a guy just South of me that restores those boats and the prices he gets for them is mind boggling. That is a sad loss of a classic boat.

1. 
   MarkRD | May 01, 2005 04:05am | #4

   Not to mention all that teak and mahogany...At my uncle's marina, people will often abandon wooden boats - the just leave them at the end of a season, and never come back. The Marina then has to foot the bill to dispose of the boats. :-(Mark

   Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with chalk, cut it with an ax.

2. 
   Stuart | May 01, 2005 11:01pm | #5

   Here is the original discussion about this boat...it was a 48 footer with two Packard V12 engines (!)  http://forums.taunton.com/tp-knots/messages?msg=22110.1

1. 
   lwj2 | May 11, 2005 02:45am | #6

   Thanks, Stuart.Interesting thread. I didn't realize it was a 48-footer with the Packards.FWIW, I believe Packard was licensed by Rolls-Royce to produce the Merlin engine for our PT boats. My late FIL was a Chief and mentioned playing around with them, he was in aviation and apparently was familiar with the engine. Nick was also a damn good shade-tree mechanic, as one might expect a pre-WW2 sailor to be.Ghod. What a waste. Burnt. Damn.Leon Jester